What the Bible says about light and seed

The True Light "In him, (the Lord Jesus) was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world,…the world didn’t recognize him." John 1:4,9.

The Good Seed and the Weeds “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seeds in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away.”Matthew 13:24,25.

Thursday, December 21, 2017

Note from the author:This is a Christmas message that I repost every year because of its
timelessness. I hope that it will bless you and that the seeds of love,
truth, hope and joy planted in your heart by the Lord will flourish as Aaron´s almond rod of authority and service and nurture the hungry and thirsty around us.

A Light and Seed Christmas message

Written by Jean-Louis

Reposted and revised from the original post written in 2009.

Almonds trees in bloomAs
people celebrate Christmas with all its symbols, regardless of what
they think the exact time and year of God's divine condescension among
us are, this is what this season represents to me as a spiritual
reality.As
I was reflecting upon the incarnation of our Savior Christ Jesus as the
supreme gift of our Heavenly Father to mankind, I could not help but
think of the limited perspective that we sometimes have of the infinite
measure of all of God’s attributes and works in the vast universe He
created but also in each of our lives.The
first thing I consider when I ponder the miracle of the supernatural
birth of Jesus-Christ is that God chose to manifest His presence in the
flesh as a seed of the Holy Spirit in the chosen womb of Mary.Imagine
a little! The creator and sustainer of the endless universe becoming a
frail human being Himself subject to the natural law of human birth and
physical existence.

What
is amazing is that as we follow the course of His birth, life, death,
resurrection, ascension and His coming back to take His own faithful
ones to reign with Him, the same characteristic stages apply to us who
have experienced the second spiritual birth and have passed from death
to life, from the kingdom of darkness into His marvelous light. As the
mature tree is essentially contained in the seed just waiting to develop
through the different stages of growth, so was the life of the Lord
Jesus and so is every one of our lives.An
illustration from the sharing of presents on Christmas day comes to
mind. Imagine one of the present being a huge box with someone’s name on
it. The person feverishly tears off the paper hoping to discover a big
present that will provide a level of satisfaction commensurate to his
perceived size. But as the box reveals another smaller box hidden under
the packing peanuts, he suspects someone is playing a joke on him as he
realizes from the sheer weight of the box.As
he keeps on opening another box, then another one, he finally opens the
last tiny box and no matter what the value of the present, it leaves
him or her with a sense of unfulfilled expectation and diminished
satisfaction. Here in brief is how the acquiring and enjoying of
material things which are supposed to fulfill our lives from the cradle
to the grave end up being a great disappointment and a snare in the end.
Not so with the present from our God, the free gift of salvation
available to anyone willing to accept and receive it. Conversely,
imagine that you received the gift of God, salvation by grace in a
small box. After receiving and opening the gift, once your life is
changed by that spiritual tiny seed, you realize that as you grow, the
gift keeps on growing as you learn and mature into eternal everlasting
life, the box of our life, so to speak, getting bigger and bigger.
Now considering another angle to giving and sharing presents.Jesus talking about greed said that life doesn’t consist in the abundance of things. Luke 12:15.And He told the people to not
lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth where moth and rust destroy
and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves
treasures in heaven…for where your treasure is, there your heart will be
also. Matthew 6:19-21.
Jesus
is not only talking about treasures, but incorruptible treasures! What
is He talking about? He is talking about treasures that have their
beginning as an intangible seed beginning here on the earth and
continuing in Heaven and/or enjoying all the stages of the growth of the
seed in two dimensions simultaneously, in the physical body while at
the same time in the invisible realm of the spirit. He
means treasures like the Christian virtues, generosity of spirit,
goodness, mercy, humility, faith, wisdom, spiritual knowledge, love,
patience, fruits of the Spirit, all intangible, but whose effects are
felt when translated into good works and service to our brothers,
sisters and fellow man. And of course, included are all the material
gifts that he has blessed us with in superabundance to share with those
less fortunate than us and to provide the means to advance the Kingdom
of God, through preaching of the Gospel through gifts to missions
throughout the world. Everything that will become the stones building
the foundation of our sphere of influence in the coming Kingdom.
In I Timothy 6: 18, Paul tells Timothy to"Command those who are rich in this present world... to put their hope
in God who richly provide us with everything for our enjoyment. Command
them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and
willing to share. In this way, they will lay up for themselves a firm foundation for the coming age so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life".
It is obvious that one can build a house or a building only as tall and
as large as the dimensions of the foundation supporting it, otherwise
the building collapses.
In
the Bible we can find several mentions of this manifestation of life as
encapsulated in the title of Our Lord who is the Alpha, the beginning
and Omega, the end and of course everything in between.We can find the image of the seed in I Peter 1:23. “For
you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but
imperishable, that is through the living and abiding Word of God.”Isaiah 9:6-7 promise of the coming Messiah follows this development: "for
a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us, and the
government will rest upon His shoulders … there will be no end to the
increase of His government or of peace."Salvation,
knowledge and wisdom are part of the incorruptible treasures that
Christ talks about in Matthew. Talking about Christ, Isaiah 33:6
declares: “He will be a sure foundation for our times, a rich
store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge: The fear of the Lord is the
key to this treasure.”This
salvation which starts as a spiritual seed planted by the Holy Spirit
Himself in the hearts of men who have received Him on His terms is ever
expanding and revealing the loving heart of our Heavenly Father at this
time of the year and all year long. "And hope does not disappoint us,because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us". Romans 5:5Paul prays for the Ephesians in Ephesians 3:14-17 that: "He
would grant you according to the riches of His glory to be strengthened
with power through His spirit in the inner man so that Christ may dwell
in your hearts through faith and that you being rooted and grounded in
love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth
and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which
surpasses knowledge that you may be filled up to all the fullness of
God." This is also my prayer for all of us today and for the coming year.
Contrary to the philosophy of this passing and dying world, the present
of eternal life in Christ Jesus started as a tiny seed, first the human
seed inherited from our natural father and then the Holy Spirit seed
that contained all that is necessary to fulfill the purpose for which
our Father and Creator put us on this earth. See I Corinthians 15.
45 So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit.46 The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. (NIV)So
this Christmas season until the beginning of 2018 and beyond, I invite
you to remember with grateful and humble hearts, that the tiniest and
most humble manifestation of life, a human seed, a tiny baby in his or
her mother's womb is infinitely precious and worthy of protection and
nurturing because it was made in God’s image. Psalm 139.

I
invite you also to let your hearts and minds expand onto other amazing
dimensions of life and consider all the stages of the life of the Savior
in His birth, His death, His resurrection, His going back into the
glory of Heaven and His coming back to give us glorified bodies, for we
have already been resurrected (spiritually) if we have been born again, starting as a
tiny seed wrapped up in a small and fragile package that we all are, as
pilgrims on this earth. This season Jesus offers us hope, joy and peace in a world sadly lacking theses blessings.May
the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him so
that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13.LordGod, our loving Heavenly Father, we thank you and praise you for the gift of life present and eternal in Our Lord Jesus-Christ.

Reposted fromomegaletter.com Prophecy - Signs
Monday, December 18, 2017Pete Garcia I know I know…I’m supposed to write a Christmas article because
it’s the Monday before Christmas and that’s what’s on everyone’s mind.
And I will…I promise, but in more of a roundabout way. As ironic as it
seems, in the season when everyone focuses on the birth that changed
history forever, I find myself thinking about death.

According to the Bible, human beings can only exist in two states of being, either life or death (2 Cor. 5:6-8).
But as Christians, we understand that death for the believer is not the
end, but more like a stepping-off point where we enter into the real
and infinitely more permanent state of existence. It is moving from one
realm of existence into another without any hesitation or delay. In
other words, death is not the termination of consciousness, but rather,
an immediate transition from one reality to another separated only by a
heartbeat.For those of us who have lost someone close, understand, that their
existence now is more real than ours is presently. They are in a greater
state of being and consciousness than even the smartest person(s) who
have ever lived in this life. They understand everything.The world we live in was designed to accommodate our temporary
existence. This means that the current world is also temporary and
fading away (1 John 2:17).

The world we enter into at death is permanent and eternal (2 Cor. 4:16-18). So in one sense, our current world is very much like the Matrix,
in that it is merely a copy or a façade of the corresponding spiritual
reality. Our world and the next is not separated by distance, but by
dimensionality. During certain periods of time, the veil between our
world and the spiritual realm was either very thin or non-existent (ex.
before Adam and Eve’s fall). During other periods, the veil was
impermeable and marked by its opaqueness. The Apostle Paul notes…For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. 1 Cor. 13:12AssessmentWhen someone passes away, the common and socially respectful thing to
say in acknowledgment to that, is either “they’re in a better place
now” or “rest in peace.” Truth be told, we don’t know if either is true
unless we knew whether that person was a born-again believer in Jesus
Christ. We say what we say because it would be considered rude and
inconsiderate to do otherwise.

It has become vogue in the military to respond with “till Valhalla”
as a means to acknowledge a fellow soldiers’ passing. They say that
since Valhalla was the place (according to Nordic mythology) where
warriors supposedly went to after they died. The trip to Valhalla
required the winged-escort by the famed Valkyries (women warriors) to
the great hall. The great hall was where the immortals joined the
eternal party marked with copious amounts of drinking, fighting,
revelry, and more drinking for all eternity.

From a purely fleshly standpoint, that sounds like a lot of fun.But then I got to thinking…at what point, in that particular version
of eternity, does Valhalla go from being fun to not being fun.I mean, if you did the same thing over and over and over for all
eternity….at what point does that become hell in and of itself? I mean,
after a thousand years of fighting, drinking, and revelry, you’ve only
just begun. Now repeat that same scenario times infinity, and I can’t
see how that remains interesting or entertaining unless you existed in
some type of perpetual time-loop like the Groundhog Day movie.

The same could be said for Islam’s version of the afterlife. On the surface, a paradise world with 70 virgins
sounds fantastic? Especially if you grew up in the Middle East where
all you knew was hot dusty deserts, fighting and violence, poverty, and
brutality. But let’s say for the sake of argument, even if their version
of the afterlife were true, and each virgin was absolutely stunning,
the food was the best eternity could offer, and the atmosphere was
completely serene…at what point does even that Islamic paradise quit
being fun? At what point does their version of paradise become hell?

Let’s be honest, as sentient beings, we can’t do the same thing over
and over and over without repetition killing our enthusiasm.Buddhism and Hinduism vary slightly as compared to the above
scenarios because of their views on reincarnation, but the premise
remains the same. If you keep having to come back to this reality to
“get it right,” at what point does that repetition turn into a living
hell? Even if one made it into Nirvana and had complete enlightenment,
and ‘oneness’ with the universe, at what point does even that become
old, and eventually, torturous? After a million years? A hundred million
years?

And yet, eternity drones on.Likewise, Mormonism teaches a form of this for those who have
dutifully followed the Mormon faith. Those who have, are promised to
enter into the highest form of existence (celestial)
where they are promised to be creators (and gods in their own right)
with their own worlds. Now add infinity on to this. This creates a huge
dilemma for the Mormons, as they now have the conundrum of eternal-progression, but I digress.

The reason I mention all of the above examples is that eternity is forever. I might have just sounded like Captain Obvious
here, but we mortals have no real way of dealing with the topic of
eternality since we can’t fathom something existing without an
end-point. We can’t wrap our finite minds around the subject because it
exceeds any known, tangible example we could render as comparable. Even
to the most hardened atheist, the universe and all its mysteries had a
beginning (i.e…the Big Bang) and will likewise have an end at some
unknown future point.

Since we can’t conceptualize eternity into anything tangible, we use
analogies that help to understand the gravitas of the subject. Jack
Kinsella once put it this way when speaking about the death of Osama Bin
Laden.Suppose a seagull were to take a grain of sand from the East Coast
and drop it off on the West Coast. Every ten thousand years, our seagull
would transport another grain of sand from the East Coast to the West
Coast. When every grain of sand on every beach on the entire East Coast
has been transferred to the West Coast (one grain at a time, every ten
thousand years), Osama's eternity will be just getting started. From Here to Eternity

The Bible describes only two potential realities for those who enter into eternity.
We either go to be with our Creator God, or we are separated from Him
forever. Those who die without placing their faith and trust in the
finished work of Jesus Christ’s atoning work on the Cross will forever
be separated from God (John 3:36, Hebrews 9:26-28). That might sound
overly exclusive, but Jesus Himself said this of salvation, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. John 14:6

Truth be told, even if hell was not the biblical definition of a
place where final judgment consisted of: Eternal separation from God,
darkness, pain, fire, brimstone, lake of fire, etc., doing the same
thing over and over for all eternity (no matter what it was) would
inevitably become a living and torturous hell. This
is why every religion and belief system apart from biblical
Christianity, are equal in their inability to deal with the concept of
eternity and the afterlife.

But as it is written:“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” 1 Cor. 2:9

As one who personally saw it with his own eyes (2 Cor. 12:1-5),
Paul had no way to put what he saw into words. This should validate and
distinguish Christianity from any other, since only Christianity truly
deals with man’s inadequacy for dealing with something far outside his
scope of comprehension. Furthermore, what Paul quotes here (Isaiah 64)
still can only describe God’s attributes in how it interacts with our
physical world. In other words, as indescribable is God’s Being is as a
Being (He is the Becoming One), so too is the realm in which He
physically dwells.

ConclusionA popular misconception people have about heaven is that it will be
one, long, extended church service. If that were true, even that would
become hellish if we were allowed to retain who we are as sentient
beings. Simply put, we weren’t wired to do the same thing over and over
forever. Will we worship in heaven? Absolutely. I’m sure even the most
spirit-filled and inspiring worship we have here, will absolutely pale
in comparison to the ones there. But I do not believe that is all there
is to heaven.

We finite beings cannot comprehend the things which God has in store
for our eternity-future, thus we default to compare it to what we think
Christianity consists of today, which primarily centers on the church.
Since the Bible acknowledges that we cannot comprehend heaven in any
meaningful sense, it is of comfort to me since anything we try and
contribute to it simply can not do it justice.

Another popular misconception is to view all eternity in light of what the Bible says about the Kingdom Age (Isaiah 2, 11, 66, Rev. 20,
etc.). The truth is, the Bible only hints at what is beyond the
millennial (1,000 years) reign of Christ on the earth. Only Revelation
chapters 21-22 mentions what comes AFTER the Kingdom (or Millennial)
Age.

But if God was able to speak our universe into existence in a matter
of days, how much more could He do in two-thousand years? Some will
argue that to God, a day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years, a
day (Psalm 90:4, 2 Peter 3:8), and thus it’s only been two-thousand years (or two days) since Christ ascended. But Moses tells us in Exodus 24:11
that God created our existence in six literal 24-hour days. If God used
our measurement of time to show us how He did it, how much more could
He do in two-thousand years (John 14:1-3)? After all, Our God is a Creator by His very nature. But not only is He a Creator, but also a Sustainer. Jesus is the Word of God and through Him, every molecule in the universe is held together by Him (Col. 1:27).

A Bit of SpeculationI think the problem we have with thinking that God can’t create any
new beings in eternity future, is since Christ has come once to pay for
sins (Hebrews 9:26-28),
any new sentient creations would be outside the realm of redemption.
However, if Satan and his influencers were no longer a factor in
corrupting said future-race, they may not need it. Free will (or what
was allowed to us) may also not be available as it was for us in the
future eternity. Those beings (if there are new beings) will have their
own operating system they fall under, perhaps some perpetual state of
innocence whereby we (the redeemed from our ages), were finally deemed
worthy to co-rule with Christ in their future history.

Final ThoughtLastly, if we can fall so easily in love (or at least fascination)
with the things of this life, how much more will we be when given
glorified bodies that are the perfect, incorruptible, versions of
ourselves that will never age, sicken, or die, all the while presiding
with our God and Creator for all of eternity? This is the same God who
left the glory of heaven and all of its indescribable attributes and
wonders, to be born in a lowly manger, to an unknown family, with only
the angels and a few shepherds as fanfare. He did all of that, so He
could redeem us from being eternally separated from Himself. God is
good.So in that light, Merry Christmas and Maranatha!About Pete Garcia

Monday, November 27, 2017

Fitzpatrick
fails to biblically define the "godly life" but leads readers to
believe that it can be achieved by the elimination of that impediment
called "idolatry." She claims this impediment "lies at the heart of
every besetting sin that we struggle with" (15). She contends that idols
("We create… Continue reading Idols of the Heart

Note from the blog´s author:This
morning, I came across this review of a book used in Christian
counseling (self-help). The title seems attractive, using the phrase
"Idols of the Heart" from Ezequiel 14 that appears no less than 3 times,
in identifying 3 classes of people. I didn´t take the time to read
the book as I abandoned the idea of seeking help through Christian
counseling a long time ago. Christ, His love, His word, grace and my
obedience in keeping His instructions for life are sufficient for me.
Just reading the insightful review with salient quotes from the book
was enough to get a grasp on the direction of the author´s thinking and
departure from a biblical understanding of idolatry. I saw a
striking similarity with the concepts of happiness expounded in the
reviewed book and a Hindu concept of the goal of life, explained by the
Indian Guru Paramahansa Yogananda as the fundamental desire of all
mankind in their quest for the meaning of life. I spent 14 years of
my life trying to attain this elusive and delusional goal through
persistent and dedicated albeit unfruitful efforts under the teachings
of this Hindu master who turned out to be a dangerous, destructive
counterfeit to the real life, light and truth found in the Lord Jesus
Christ and His word. Here are some quotes about happiness from
Paramahansa Yogananda from whose Yoga and meditation teachings and
practices the Lord Jesus rescued me in 1984.

The Purpose of Life Excerpts from the writings of Paramahansa Yogananda
Mankind is engaged in an eternal quest for that “something else” he
hopes will bring him happiness, complete and unending. For those
individual souls who have sought and found God, the search is over: He
is that Something Else.

Many people may doubt that finding God
is the purpose of life; but everyone can accept the idea that the
purpose of life is to find happiness. I say that God is Happiness. He is
Bliss. He is Love. He is Joy that will never go away from your soul. So
why shouldn’t you try to acquire that Happiness? No one else can give
it to you. You must continuously cultivate it yourself.

Even if
life gave you at one time everything you wanted — wealth, power, friends
— after a while you would again become dissatisfied and need something
more. But there is one thing that can never become stale to you — joy
itself. Happiness that is delightfully varied, though its essence is
changeless, is the inner experience everyone is seeking. Lasting, ever
new joy is God. Finding this Joy within, you will find it in everything
without. In God you will tap the Reservoir of perennial, unending bliss.

Sunday, November 19, 2017

Note by the blog author: I can attest to the veracity of this lady´s testimony and presentation.
Having been a practitioner of yoga, meditation for 20 years during which
I went through terrifying dark experiences of spiritual active involvement with
the spiritual occult demonic realm. The Lord Jesus in his mercy and
grace rescued me from the power of darkness by the power of His Spirit
37 years ago. This is extremely serious and not something to be toyed
with even if you think that you are doing exercise in a
Christian environment and taught by Christian instructors that have no
idea about the inner workings of the spiritual realm. The same goes for
the lying signs and wonders movements with the transference of spiritual
power and energy from pastor/leader to disciple in a pseudo spiritual,
emotionally charged church setting that deceives Christian young and old
lacking in discernment and led by false shepherds that are themselves
deceived. Jesus warned in the Gospel to be careful what they hear and
how they hear. In the church of the last days, the apostate church of
Laodicea, and all 7 churches, the Lord Jesus has this admonition: He who
has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says” Question: Which spirit
are you listening to? Here is a warning about the danger of following
the spirit of deception. http://lightnseed.blogspot.com.br/.../attention-danger...:

Thursday, November 9, 2017

Prophecy - Signs
Tuesday, January 05, 2016Wendy Wippel “Hermeneutics” is the stuffy theological term for the lens
through which we see Scripture. Western evangelicals, for example, see
the Bible as a self-help book, with every verse a promise to claim.
The Bible, however, was not written by Joel Osteen (Can I get an amen?),
but by Middle Eastern men, who wrote out what God breathed. Their
hermeneutics? Similitudes.

Jesus Himself told us that: “'These
things in similitudes I have spoken to you, but there cometh an hour
when no more in similitudes will I speak to you, but freely of the
Father will tell you.” (John 16:25 Youngs Literal Translation)

Similitudes being the translation of the Greek word paroimia, A word
also translated symbol or allegories. God speaks to us in allegories.Scripture, thankfully, defines some of these specific allegories for us.

Adam was an allegory of the Savior promised after the fall. (Romans 5:12-21)

Abraham offering up Isaac was an allegory of the crucifixion of Christ. (Hebrews 11:17-19)

Moses striking the rock in the wilderness was an allegory of God in the form of man being smitten for our sins. (II Corinthians 10:4) To name a few.

In fact, Jesus tells two of His disciples --on the Emmaus road --a
rather astounding thing, namely, that all of the Old Testament
scriptures speak of Him. And He followed that up with an impromptu Bible
study in which He explained to them, again, that “beginning with Moses
and all the Prophets, what was said in all the Scriptures concerning
himself.” (Luke 24:25)

In other words, He explained to them that all of the Old Testament was about Him.In context, obviously, meaning foreshadowings. Patterns that become prophecies, also known as “types” (short for prototypes).Essentially meaning that the type is a foreshadowing that will eventually be fulfilled by the antitype -- Christ Himself.Essentially a prophecy by analogy.

Exhibit A: probably one of the most widely recognized foreshadowings in Scripture, Abraham and Isaac on Mt. Moriah.We all know this story:

"Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!”And he said, “Here I am.”2 Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you
love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt
offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”3 So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey,
and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split
the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of
which God had told him. 4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes
and saw the place afar off. 5 And Abraham said to his young men, “Stay
here with the donkey; the ladand I will go yonder and worship, and we
will come back to you.”6 So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on
Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the
two of them went together. 7 But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and
said, “My father!”And he said, “Here I am, my son.”Then he said, “Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”8 And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So the two of them went together.9 Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And
Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound
Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. 10 And Abraham
stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.11 But the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!”So he said, “Here I am.”12 And He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything
to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld
your son, your only son, from Me.”13 Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him
was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the
ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 And
Abraham called the name of the place, The-Lord-Will-Provide;[b] as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”15 Then the Angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time out
of heaven, 16 and said: “By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because
you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only
son— 17 blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your
descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which isbut on
the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their
enemies. 18 In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed,
because you have obeyed My voice.” 19 So Abraham returned to his young
men, and they rose and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at
Beersheba. (Genesis 22:1-19 NKJV)

It’s pretty hard to miss, in this passage, that Isaac is a type; a
prophecy by analogy of Christ. It’s a whole lot easier to miss the
details that confirm and validate the type unless you’re paying real
attention.

For example:

Isaac carries his own wood to the place of sacrifice.

Isaac as a child specifically promised by God, just like Jesus. (Jn 15:4)

Isaac was born to a women who physiologically couldn’t have children, just like Jesus.

The moment that Abraham purposed to obey God’s command to sacrifice
Isaac, the young man was essentially dead to him. Isaac was therefore
“resurrected” and reunited with his father on the third day (Genesis 22:4) just like Jesus.

Isaac was accompanied by two witnesses, just like Jesus. Isaac went on to have many many spiritual descendants, just like Jesus.

God provided a ram for the sacrifice by ensnaring the ram’s horns in
thorns. Just like Jesus, who wore a crown of thorns to His sacrifice.
Still skeptical?

Notice that God specifically tells Abraham to “go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” And that God is going to show them an exact place to stop. (Gen 22:2)

Notice also that, after they travel a ways, Abraham sees the place far off. And that he had to look up to see it. (Verse 4) Finally (verse 9) they arrive at the specific place Abraham was
instructed to sacrifice his son, Mt. Moriah. Specifically, up high on
Mt. Moriah. Where thousands of years later a temple would be built-a
temple in which other rams would be sacrificed for the sins of
Abraham’s descendants.

Still not convinced? You may have missed a very interesting omission in Abrahams’s happy ending:

…18 In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed,
because you have obeyed My voice.” 19 So Abraham returned to his young
men, and they rose and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at
Beersheba.

Here’s my question. What the heck happened to Isaac? Remember, this is a prophecy by analogy. So isn’t it interesting that
the next time Isaac appears in the narrative is when he shows up to
claim his bride Rebecca at the well.Just like Jesus. Who will next appear to claim us as His bride.About Wendy Wippel

Every
now and then something come along that presents our case in such a
succinct and obvious way that we are compelled to share it with our
readers with the hope it will leave no question as to how serious the
present situation is with regard to Christianity in the Western world.
Religious author Diana Butler Bass, who was one of the speakers at the
recent Parliament of the World’s Religions in Salt Lake City, has
written a book titled Christianity After Religion: The End of Church and the Birth of a New Spiritual Awakening. In it, she makes the stunning statement:

Conventional, comforting Christianity has failed. It does
not work. For the churches that insist on preaching it, the jig is up.
We cannot go back, and we should not want to. . . . In earlier American
awakenings, preachers extolled “old-time religion” as the answer to
questions about God, morality, and existence. This awakening is
different . . . it is not about sawdust trails, mortification of sin
[putting to death the old man], and being washed in the blood of the Lamb
[the preaching of the Cross – emphasis ours]. The awakening going on
around us is not an evangelical revival; it is not returning to the
faith of our fathers or re-creating our grandparents church. Instead, it
is a Great Returning to ancient understandings of the human quest for
the divine. (pp. 36, 99).

Contrast this with 2 Corinthians 5: 18-21, which states:

And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; to
wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not
imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word
of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though
God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

It could not be any more clear what’s at stake here. The term “the
jig is up” is a slang term that has the connotation of someone being
caught at doing something wrong. It has an intrinsically militant tone
that is more or less saying “you’re not going to get away with this any
longer.” By Butler Bass saying “the jig is up,” there is an underlying
implication of a mounting consensus that backs up that statement, such
as what Ray Yungen and others we know recently witnessed at the
Parliament of the World’s Religions, where 14,000 people attended and
where a clear animosity toward biblical Christians was prevalent.Inside Diana Butler Bass’ book that so openly rejects the Cross and
the atonement are the following glowing endorsements of people you have
probably heard of:

She’s spot-on prophetic, compelling, and most important, hopeful. —Rob Bell, author of Love WinsJoin her in rebuilding religion from the bottom up!—Richard Rohr, O.F.M., Center for Action and Contemplation and author of Falling UpwardShe has a good nose to sniff out crappy religion, but she also has
the eyes to see new life budding from the compost of Christendom. Shane
Claiborne, mentored by Tony CampoloDiana Butler Bass has a keen eye for what is happening in the
Christian world these days— so keen, she is able to see through the bad
news for the good news that is emerging. Parker PalmerBass as one of our foremost commentators on twenty-first century Christianity.—Marcus BorgI expect (and hope) that this will be the must-read ‘church book’ for
every Christian leader— clergy and lay— for years to come.” —Brian D.
McLaren, author of A New Kind of Christianity and Naked Spirituality

We hope our readers will pass this information onto to many they know
and pray it may jolt quite a number of people out of complacency or
even skepticism into the realization that what we’ve been reporting on
these past nearly 14 years is actually occurring.What Butler Bass refers to as the “ancient understandings of the
human quest for the divine” is what the apostle Paul called the mystery
of iniquity. This is where man is deceived by familiar spirits (demons)
into believing that man is God.And when it comes to the preaching of the Cross, Diana Butler Bass,
Marcus Borg, Brian McLaren, Richard Rohr, and Shane Claiborne are wrong.
On the contrary to what they believe, the preaching of the Cross DOES
work. People ARE reconciled to God when they are washed in the blood of
the lamb. In other words, they’re not just wrong, they are terribly
tragically wrong.

And they [the saints of Jesus Christ] overcame him
[Satan] by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony;
and they loved not their lives unto the death. (Revelation 12:11)

Wednesday, September 20, 2017

Reposted from: https://rejoiceforevermore.wordpress.com I got this article from a blog that is
no longer in existence, I didn’t write it and I don’t know who did soif
you know who did write it let me know. I would love to assign credit
where it is due. Pay attention to
see if you notice any of these Red Flags. We have to be on guard and
pay attention to these things lest we be deceived.

Red Flags of DeceptionThe following is a list of ‘Red Flags’ that are symptoms of
deception in a person or group. In developing this list, I was
concerned, not so much with addressing specific doctrines, but in
identifying characteristics that are symptomatic of deception. I
started writing this list when I noticed the many similarities between
the Walk and the prophetic movement gaining momentum in
Vineyard/Charismatic circles. These characteristics of deception
predominate in Charismatic/Vineyard groups and in the Walk.

1. Spiritual elitism. This is the root of many delusions. Any kind
of elitist belief is a certain indication of deception. Elitism is the
belief that God has given a certain group special
revelation/power/anointing that other Christian groups or previous
generations have not entered into. They are on the spiritual
cutting-edge, rising to spiritual levels not attained by other groups.
It’s often dressed up as “Joel’s Army”, “Gideon’s Army”, and Elijah
Companies of super anointed end-time warriors. Elitism is seen today in
the ‘this-is-the-greatest-generation-ever’ kind of preaching we often
hear. It can be found in the need to search out so-called ‘deeper’
truths and discover new, hidden mystical insights.

2. A tendency to marginalize the written Word. Watch out for any
talk that plays down devotion to Scripture, such as “God is bigger
than the Bible” or “God is doing a new thing, so put away your
Bibles.” Marginalizing the written Word can take many forms:a) Ignoring the Word. Neglecting private Bible study in daily life is a strong symptom of deception.b) Disregarding the Word. A careless attitude towards obedience.
I’ve seen examples of this in wild revival meetings in which people
mockingly quote the verse, “Let all things be done decently and in
order”, while they enjoy a good laugh over their disorderly and drunken
behavior. Any teaching that plays down our requirement to be doers of
the Word is a sure sign of delusion.c) Deceived groups that marginalize the Word are often those who
have an emphasis on prophecy. Beware of any emphasis on the
revelatory, prophetic word, especially where there is a sidelining of
the written Word. We are not to despise prophecy, but the real meat of
the Word that nourishes the saints and builds them up in the faith is
the written Word of God, not the prophetic. Teaching that would make
Christians dependant on prophets or apostles for ‘current’ truth
effectively marginalizes the Word of God.d) “Fools despise knowledge.” Any kind of talk that does not give
the Word the high regard it is due, effectively marginalizes the Word
and is a sure sign that deception is at work in the group. As the Word
says, “Choose my instruction instead of silver.” Love it more than
anything else.

3. Prayerlessness in private. Neglect of private prayer time, alone
with God, is a strong indication of deception. If it is prevalent
across a church or movement, it indicates deception is taking hold of
that group. Please note that deceived people will often continue to
attend and even enjoy public church functions, especially when there
is good sound, light or music – but private quite time loses its
appeal.

4. Disdain for Berean[31] spirited searching of the scriptures. Any
kind of anti-Berean, anti-discernment teaching that discourages people
from questioning what is going on or being taught is a sure sign of
deception. If you ever hear the leadership of your church group say
anything along the lines of “put away your Bibles”, or “don’t worry
about being deceived”, then head for the exit as fast as you can.

5. An inability to separate Godly criticism of their words from
personal attack. Equating ‘Berean’ (Acts 17:11) activity with
criticism. Such leaders may often talk about the ‘Jezebel spirit’ and
the ‘accuser of the brethren’ and warn people about moving in a fault
finding or critical spirit. What they are driving at is that if you
question what is going on, or challenge what is being taught, you are
being critical and run the risk of incurring the Lord’s disfavor.6. Lack of accountability. One common trait among the new wave of
apostles and prophets rising to prominence these days is that they do
not like to be held accountable for their teachings and failed
prophecies. Any criticism of their teachings and prophetic utterances
is taken as an attack against their ministry.

7. Discernment primarily the prerogative of leadership. A tendency
to see discernment as a special gift or anointing not available to
everyone to the same degree, or that increases with higher spiritual
office. The ‘higher’ you are on the prophetic ladder, the more
discerning you are. Since leaders supposedly have better discernment as
per their higher office, followers tend to trust the opinions of
their leaders over their own, since the ‘apostle’ or prophet must have
better understanding anyway due to their higher standing in the
spiritual ranks[32]. Believers are not encouraged to trust their own
discernment, or are encouraged only so long as it agrees with the
overall word as set forth by the leaders. Discernment among the ranks
becomes little more than a faculty (an inner witness of the spirit)
that confirms what the Apostle or Prophet is saying.

8. Any form of Mystery Religion. A mystery religion is a religion
that has successive levels of knowledge and ‘deeper’ truths, which are
not necessarily available to all, at least not at first. Those in
higher levels will know things not revealed, nor available, to lower
levels. A new ‘believer’ comes in on the ground floor, and then
progresses up through successive levels of spiritual understanding and
empowerment as he is introduced to the ‘deeper’ truths.

9. Heightened interest with spiritual levels and rankings. Higher
‘spiritual’ rank is equated with greater closeness to God. Gifts and
callings are typically ranked, and those higher in rank are seen as
closer to God in some practical way, such as hearing from God more
frequently and being more privy to God’s inner secrets. Those on higher
spiritual levels have a privileged access to God that is not
available to those holding lesser callings. As a result of their
higher standing or special calling, God visits them more often and
they receive greater mystical experiences than the rest.

10. Heightened interest in dreams, visions, new revelations and
novel insights. This may not necessarily be explicitly stated in their
Creed, and they may claim to believe the Bible as the Word of God.
But in actual practice dreams, visions and revelations are the
preferred stock-in-trade over sound Bible teaching and exposition of
the basics.

11. An increase in subjectivity. Looking for subjective impressions,
personal ‘prophetic’ words and ‘revelation’ for guidance and
direction. Seeking the mystical ‘inner voice’ as guide over the
written Word. You can be sure that if a person is seeking new personal
‘words’, it is because they are not in the Word, and serious
deception cannot be long avoided.

12. Detractors dismissed as having inferior vision. They see
themselves as being in tune with God, and anyone who is also in tune
with the Divine will agree with them. Detractors are obviously not in
tune with God and have inferior vision. This sets up a very neat
circular reasoning that is almost impossible to get past. It is a
defensiveness which is very difficult to penetrate, because they are
convinced that detractors don’t have the same level of anointing or
discernment as they have. As they see it, if detractors did have the
same level of anointing, they’d be in agreement. They dismiss any
criticism of their teaching or conduct as bitterness, jealousy or fault
finding, while they themselves feel they have very sharp spiritual
perception. People are truly discerning only as long as they support
their movement.

13. Dismissive attitude towards detractors. Detractors given
derogatory labels, such as ‘religious’, ‘old order’, ‘old wineskins’,
or ‘Pharisees’. Detractors denounced as not being able to ‘handle it’,
or they have a ‘Jezebel spirit’, or a ‘spirit of criticism’. They are
‘accusers of the brethren’, that sort of thing. Threats of God’s
judgment on detractors and critics are a sure sign of a cultic mindset
and delusion.

14. A ‘get-on-board-or-else’ mentality. A fear that you’ll miss
God’s new move and be left behind if you don’t join up. God is doing a
new thing and if you do not go along with it, regardless of how long
you’ve been faithfully serving God over the years, God will pass you
by and you’ll get left in the dust.

15. New thingism. God is doing a ‘new thing’ and you’d better get
with it. There is now a further requirement if you want to remain a
first class Christian and in God’s highest favour, which is to be a
part of the new thing represented by the group. If you don’t come
along, you run the risk of God passing you by.

16. A special anointing. A certain person or group has been anointed
by God to introduce something to the rest of the Body. God has given
it to them, and other believers can come to them to ‘get it.’

17. A priesthood. Placing a person or group in an exalted status
with God, so that they become special intermediaries, is a sure sign
of delusion. False movements and false religions invariable try to
interject some kind of priesthood between the believer and God. This is
seen whenever a person or group claims to have received something from
God that can be received from their hands. They become an
intermediary between you and Jesus Christ if you want more of God, and
people are encouraged to go to the ‘anointed’ of the Lord to get it.

We see this today in certain revival circles where it is necessary
to get more from God at the hands of a specially chosen vessel.
Worship leaders have ‘an anointing’ to lead us into the presence of
God. Prophets and apostles have a privileged access to receive things
from God that the rest of the church needs. False religion always
reverts to some form of human priesthood.

18. “Don’t think about it, just jump in” type of teaching that
encourages people to throw caution to the wind. Encouraging followers
not to worry or think things through, that God won’t allow them to be
deceived. Just jump in before it’s too late or you may miss the boat.

19. Glorification of the vessel. An excessive focus on the ‘anointed’ person of God.

21. An excited interest in peripheral subjects not central to the
gospel. A de-emphasis on the central themes of the gospel. They claim
to agree with the gospel, but the bulk of their teaching, writing and
prophetic messages show a greater interest in peripheral topics, novel
insights and new revelation.

22. May talk unity, but bring division along lines of gender, age, race or nationality.

23. Watch out for leaders who love to surround themselves with minions who affirm their special anointing.

24. More interest in breaking through to new levels and remaking the
church along new lines rather than reaching the lost with the good
news of Jesus Christ.

25. False spirits love to show off and love center stage. They love
to parade their subjective impressions and experiences up front for
others to see. Publicly sharing highly subjective impressions and
insights that cannot be proved or disproved one way or the other is a
real “Red Flag”.

26. Conference chasing. Running from place to place to meet God. Any
emphasis on experiencing God corporately more than privately is a
symptom of delusion. Whenever people need to go to a conference or
certain location to receive a ‘fresh’ touch, something is very wrong. There is a whole generation of believers now who are bored with
‘quiet time’ alone with God, who don’t know how to meet God in the
prayer closet, and can only meet with God and experience Him in public
settings that provide the right mood and atmosphere, usually involving
the right music. The reason so many are chasing God at conferences is
because they are not in the Word and prayer at home.

27. The ‘anointed’ leader has a privileged access, a hot
relationship, with God that the rest have yet to attain. They get
angelic visitations, dramatic visions and prophetic insights, and they
publish ‘prophetic bulletins’ to keep others abreast with what God is
doing. Because the apostles and prophets are in such a privileged
position of receiving the latest hot word from God, the rest are
reduced to second hand status, anxiously awaiting the latest prophetic
bulletin. Watch for groups that tend to place emphasis on the leaders
anointing or relationship with God. This results in Christians
running to conferences for a ‘fresh touch’ from those who seem to have
‘it’.

28. The Holy Spirit is seen more as coming to bring an experience rather than a greater understanding of the Scripture.

29. A tendency to distinguish between people who accept their movement as a true move of God and those who don’t.

30. Beware of any dichotomy between the Spirit and the mind. Any
anti-intellectual position, such as the belief held in many charismatic
circles today that exercising the mind will hinder the Holy Spirit, is
a real indication of deception. Deceivers like to parrot phrases
like: “God will offend the mind to reveal the heart.” This cute little
mantra often repeated in certain revival groups sounds very
spiritual, but is very false. A careful reading of the Word tells us
the truth: God will inform the mind to convince the heart. Jesus often
did offend the Pharisee’s – by telling them the truth! The Holy
Spirit leads people to Christ by shining the light of God’s Word into
their minds and convicting them of its truth.

A Christmas Reflection from the Light Seed

This is a Christmas message that I repost every year because of its timelessness. I hope that it will bless you and that the seeds of love, truth, hope and joy planted in your heart by the Lord will flourish as Aaron´s almond rod of authority and service and nourish the hungry and thirsty around us.

Search this blog

2012 Microsoft Translator from English

Copyright. Droits d'Auteurs. Rediffusion. Direitos Autorais

I claim no right as an author. I didn't create the mind, my brain, my hands, nor any of my senses through which I perceive the world around me. Therefore, I invite anybody if you see any benefit or blessing in the posts, to print, reproduce or distribute the contents of this blog I wrote personally. Jesus said: "Freely you have received, freely give". John the Baptist said: "One can receive only what has been given him from above". I would suggest you ask for spiritual discernment with checking in the Word of God what is right, true, noble, pure, lovely, beneficial as coming from God. I am just offering and sharing free of any restrictions the things that I deem worthy of passing on to any one willing to spend a little time and walk with me along life's highway so we can learn and grow together. Give thanks to and Praise God for the wonderful things he has done.

The Joshua Tree - An original parable/allegory by this blogger.

Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called upon the name of the LORD, the Eternal God (Genesis 21:33). Here is old Abraham just planting a tree and living by his well. Why are we told this? It is symbolic of what is taking place in his heart and life. The tree immediately brings to mind Psalm 1, which says the man of God will be like a tree planted by rivers of living water, bringing forth its fruit in season. Here is a life that is fruitful, that is concerned about those immediately around and is pouring out blessing into their lives and hearts. Excerpts from Ray Stedman´s devotion: "This Thirsty World" https://www.raystedman.org/daily-devotions/genesis-12to25/this-thirsty-world

Original Love Poems by this Blogger

Excellent Free Bible Software

Now you can download an excellent Bible software on your PC and/or your USB flash drive. It contains easy to navigate and efficient interface, free add-ons modules, Bibles in English, foreign languages, Dictionaries, Commentaries, everything you need to help you study the Bible.

Testimony/Sermon of an Abortion Survivor

SUICIDE WATCH

I am sure most of you have known at some time in your life a person who wanted or attempted to end their life or succeeded in doing so. Personally, I have known a number of such people. I, myself had such an episode as an adolescent.

More and more I am reading and hearing about people young, old, male, female, gender and age don´t matter that add their lives to this problem of epidemic proportion in our society. Whatever the cause, we can all do something however small to save lives.

No need to have a psych. degree or to be licensed. An understanding heart, a listening ear is sometimes all that it takes to help weaker, more sensitive people overcome the hopelessness that drives fellow human beings to discard the gift of human life.

Please, take a few minutes to read below the few examples and testimonies about suicide. And please pass it on, if that´s all you feel inclined to do. Thank you.

HE INVITES SUICIDE JUMPERS FOR A CUP OF TEA

Don Ritchie moved to a house outside Sydney, Australia, for the clifftop view. But soon he was stopping suicides by inviting potential jumpers inside for a cup of tea.

Don Ritchie has been awarded a medal for bravery and an Order of Australia (the nation’s second highest honor) for averting hundreds of would-be suicides by approaching people and offering them a cup of tea. ‘I used to sell kitchen scales and bacon cutters,’ he says. Now, ‘I’m trying to sell people life.’